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LETTER: Willoughby’s uniqueness is lost

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Dear Editor,

Shockingly, we have lost all of the Willoughby area to big development in two to three years.

All the thoroughfares in the Willoughby area – such as 200th and 208th Streets, next 216th Street – are now jam packed with cars all day long.

Dense condo and house building is racing up and down 208th and 200th Streets. It is packed with the construction of thousands of townhomes, condos, new homes, shopping malls, lots of blacktop – creating more garbage and air pollution.

Where are the quiet green treed public city parks, jogging trails, picnic areas with swings and playgrounds for our children? Where are all the people in the condos going to go for parks? Where are the large wooded public parks in the Willoughby area of Langley – similar to Surrey’s Bear Creek Park or Tynehead Regional Park?

Remember, green spaces are needed for people to enjoy nature, for birds, and small animals. Recent medical studies have shown that wandering down a nature trail in trees and woods outdoors is very beneficial and healing to human wellbeing.

We also need trees to filter out the impurities in the air; thereby protecting our respiratory organs.

Until 2006 rural Langley still had quite a bit of large treed lots along 200th and 208th Streets. However, unfortunately we are losing them at a high-speed. I understand 216th is now under the developers’ scrutiny, plus Brookswood.

The current Langley Township Mayor and council are not protecting any of our large treed areas for public parks for people to enjoy. They seem to be only catering to the developers and almighty dollar.

Mayor and council, where are our large public city parks in Willoughby? Sadly, we have lost Willoughby.

Ras Gosse, Willoughby